I wonder if Havel was intentionally playing on Hebrews 11:1: “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. My favorite version is from the King James: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.“
The sentence structure is similar although the meaning is not.
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something is worth doing no matter how it turns out.” I appreciate Havel's quote, which is new to me. The older I get, the more I wrestle with my ability to effect change, which seemed so much easier when I was young. When I feel like I cannot effect change, hopelessness overcomes me. Hopelessness is not a place I choose to stay, but getting out of that place is work.
I probably pray the Serenity Prayer 20 times a day; it is a meditation that I breathe and speak as I imagine the words trickling across my heart. It often lulls me to sleep at night, so I am really intrigued by the earlier version, also new to me.
Thank you for the insights, Tania. I'm simply letting you know how your sermon resonated with me.
Powerful and strong! And yes, we must fight for justice. Relentlessly. We deserve so much better than we have.
I wonder if Havel was intentionally playing on Hebrews 11:1: “Faith means being sure of the things we hope for and knowing that something is real even if we do not see it. My favorite version is from the King James: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.“
The sentence structure is similar although the meaning is not.
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something is worth doing no matter how it turns out.” I appreciate Havel's quote, which is new to me. The older I get, the more I wrestle with my ability to effect change, which seemed so much easier when I was young. When I feel like I cannot effect change, hopelessness overcomes me. Hopelessness is not a place I choose to stay, but getting out of that place is work.
I probably pray the Serenity Prayer 20 times a day; it is a meditation that I breathe and speak as I imagine the words trickling across my heart. It often lulls me to sleep at night, so I am really intrigued by the earlier version, also new to me.
Thank you for the insights, Tania. I'm simply letting you know how your sermon resonated with me.
I still of you as 34, by the way!
Well written.